


Orangebat Drabble Collection

by reitotan



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: AU, Drabble Collection, F/M, M/M, some simple physics, somewhat angsty at times i guess?, spoilers for ep 24
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-03-29 14:23:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3899557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reitotan/pseuds/reitotan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles inspired by a random playlist on my Ipod.<br/>Orangebat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after ep 24.

 

 

 

 

_**1.Never** _

 

 

_"Maybe I'm better off dead._

_If I was would it finally be enough._

_To shut out all those voices in my head?"_

 

_(Better Off Dead, Sleeping with Sirens)_

 

 

 

 

 

Slaine often reflected on death; the thought usually spread cancerously in the long after-meals hours, when the silence became too heavy a burden.

 

 

 

The ex-count could still hear the Princess' voice, telling him to stop the war and the conflicts he had initiated. 

 

_"You're not the Slaine I knew anymore... Who are you?"_

 

 

Lemrina also haunted his mind, asking him again and again where the ideal world he had been building for them had gone.

 

_"That airship was my only home, and you destroyed it. Give me back my place!"_

 

 

Saazbaum's fatherly tones too asked Slaine whether Vers' royalty's values were in the right.

 

_"You know Aldnoah is the source of unequalities on Vers...you know I'm right. So why did you kill me?"_

 

 

Cruhteo's echo whispered tales of betrayal and torture in Slaine's ear.

_"Traitor! You exploited the Princess to your own means! How could you?!"_

 

 

 

* * *

 

_"Why?"_

_"Who are you?"_

 

Stop!

 

_"You deserve to rot here for the rest of your life!"_

_"Give it back!"_

 

No...

_"Die, stupid Terran!"_

_"It's ironical that his son would attempt to..."_

 

No!

 

_"Just hurry up and die!"_

_"D I E"_

 

Ahahahah....maybe I really would be better off dead...

 

* * *

 

 

But in the exact moment Slaine decided to end what he considered a pitiful existence, a particular voice reached into his muddy thoughts, like a beam of light.

It was the voice of the same man he used to hate with a passion, Kaizuka Inaho.

 

* * *

 

 

_"What are you thinking about?"_

 

Nothing that concerns you...

 

_"Everything about you concerns me. It's my duty to look after you, after all."_

 

Stop repeating the words of a dead Princess* and let me be. _(Just let me die already...)_

 

_"No."_

 

Fuck off! I don't want any pity from you!

 

_"Why should I pity you, Slaine Troyard? Do you want me to?"_

 

NO! Just leave me alone! _(Please...?)_

 

_"Never."_

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Slaine still hates Inaho. 

 

He hates how easy it is for the Terran to affect him, how simple is it to look past the blond's façade.

 

More than anything, Slaine hates how Inaho's voice resonates in his mind and convinces him not to give up on himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Slaine in the end is isolated from the rest of society, so it's possible that he doesn't know the fate of Asseylum.  
> And even if he does, I think Slaine doesn't consider the Empress as the Princess he once used to care for.  
> (I hope that makes sense.)


	2. Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine knew exactly how much time had passed since the day of the Princess' death.
> 
> (AU where Princess Asseylum was shot by the UFE soldiers in Slaine's Castle before Inaho could find her, Vers won the war and Inaho was captured by Versian soldiers.)

**2\. Leave **

 

**  
**

 

 

_"Who's this whisper telling me I'm never gonna get away?_

_I know they'll be coming to find me soon._

_But I fear I'm getting used to being held by you."_

 

_(Stockholm Syndrome, One Direction)_

 

 

Inaho couldn't remember how many years had it been since that day; there was no way to even distinguish day from night in the underground cell.

The only thing that told him that some time had actually passed at all were the visits.

 

Bat always visited him and if Inaho at the beginning found that strange, he later came instead to look forward to their next meeting.

Not that those rendez-vous were particularly eventful; usually they consisted in the Count, guarded by his faithful Knight, sitting on a chair in front of Inaho's cell.

No words were exchanged; the blond seemed content with staring at his former enemy--maybe to remind the brunet of her, maybe to blame Inaho of what happened, or perhaps just to study the other.

Whathever the reason, Bat was always accompanied by someone and never got any closer to Inaho than that.

 

But sometimes, Slaine came alone.

Sometimes the blond would open the ex-soldier's cell and sit next to the brunet.

Sometimes the Count would forget his title, whispering about some nobles opposing the revolution of politics, about the little girl who helped Eddelrittuo, about the small weddings and the new borns.

Sometimes Slaine would narrate long forgotten tales of a lonely Terran boy on Vers, and Inaho would tell the other the stories of a lively Martian girl on Earth.

The brunet grew to appreciate those small moments of mutual trust; Slaine would not openly admit it, but they both knew that the blond was also strangely enticed by these particular meetings.

Inaho couldn't remember when the older one had first hugged him; he had a very clear memory, though, of their first kiss, when Slaine kept apologizing for everything in between sobs and the brunet wanted the other to know that it was fine, and found no other effective way to shut the blond up.

 

* * *

 

_"Inaho, you are never leaving this cell, you know this, don't you?"_

_"I do."_

_"I'm sorry..."_

_"Don't be. I'll be fine. We'll be fine."_

 

* * *

 

Inaho rarely thought about fleeing the Landing Castle anymore; he knew that his friends and Yuki were still out there, perhaps waiting for a message from him, but sometimes it was hard to think of them.

It was especially difficult when Slaine's warmth embraced him, pleading in a murmur not to leave.

 

* * *

 

_"What are we going to do, Inaho?"_

_"Hush, Slaine. I won't leave."_

_(You)_


	3. Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High School AU, loosely based on the drama cd (Aldnoah High School), only that in this version Asseylum asks Slaine for some specific Daifuku sweets, the Ichigo Daifuku (イチゴ大福) in the middle of winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Wikipedia, the Ichigo Daifuku is seasonal, because of the strawberries, so it's usually eaten during springtime.
> 
> \---Additional information on Daifuku can be found here:  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifuku ----

**_3.Me_ **

 

_"Yeah I know that your love is not real,_

_That's not the way it feels..._

_And yeah, I've let you use me_

_from the day that we first met..."_

 

_(Fool's Gold, One Direction)_

 

 

 

Inaho knew it. He had known ever since the very first moment they had met.

Slaine only had eyes for Asseylum; she essentially constituted the center of the blond's existence, and it only followed that he would do anything for her.

Even, apparently, pretending to go along with Inaho himself, his exact opposite.

It was clear from the beginning, really, when Asseylum asked Slaine for the strawberry daifuku in the middle of winter-- _"I would really love to taste the traditional Japanese sweets, Slaine!" ---_ and the blond, despite knowing full well how difficult it would be to find some in December, still agreed to her request without hesitating.

Well aware of the older boy's predilection towards the blonde girl, Inaho should just have distanced himself from Slaine when the "Princess" suggested that they would make a good match.

And yet, crimson-coloured eyes could not leave the other boy, unable to let go of the sky full of dreams and hope held in those azure irids.

Inaho remembers the moment when he had first started honestly believing Slaine's vain promises; they were alone on the rooftop, after school, just spending some time together, and the usual banter between the two didn't betray what would happen afterwards.

 

_"Hey Orange..."_

_"Yes, Umbrella*?"_

_"You said that it was Rayleigh scattering that let us perceive the sky as blue, right?"_

_"Yes, so?"_

_"So then, I was wondering, why is the sea blue as well?"_

_"Well, it's because white light is absorbed differently by water depending on the composition of the same liquid, in other words..."_

_"Ok, wait, that was too much information, Orange. And you aren't romantic at all."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"No, I. I, well. I just--it was just an idea, Inaho, ok? But...What if the sea's blue only reflected the sky's blue? And vice-versa?"_

_"Well, that is not the correct explanation for it..."_

_"I know! That's exactly why I said you aren't romantic at all!"_

_"Slaine."_

_"..."_

_"Did you want to imply something else?"_

_"What if I did?"_

_"...I wouldn't be entirely opposed to it."_

 

 

That quiet simple afternoon was one of Inaho's happiest memories.

And yet, the next day the brunet learned how short-lived his joy had been when he accidentally eavesdropped a conversation between Slaine and Asseylum.

Inaho never would have guessed that those three simple words had the power to annihilate his rational abilities to such a point.

 

_"I got together with Orange as you requested, Princess."_

 

 

Nonetheless, the pull that Inaho felt towards Slaine when the older boy was around didn't lessen one bit, and although the brunet no longer bought the sweet smiles and the sugary lies, he still tried his very best to honestly return them.

 

_"Who do you think would be the sea, then? Between me and you."_

_"Me."_

_(Because every time I'm near you I feel like I'm drowning.)_

 

 

 

_("But I'm not done yet,_

_falling for you.")_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In the drama cd, Inaho calls Slaine 'Koumori' (which can be both meant as 'bat' and 'umbrella') because the latter carried a particularly big umbrella with him the day they first met. I decided to just go with 'Umbrella' here.*
> 
>  
> 
> (Also, the bit about the sky and the sea reflecting each other is meant to be an omake. It's in fact a slightly changed dialogue between Conan and Kaito Kid; I really liked the idea, and it went well with the plot here, so I thought why not.)
> 
>  
> 
> Apologies for the delay in uploading, I just couldn't write a chapter that completely satisfied me....  
> ...and on this note, thank you so much for the kudos! *///*  
> A special hug goes to those lovely people who bookmarked this >///


	4. For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine spends his days monotonously in jail after the fall of Vers.  
> ...Or does he?

**_4.For_ **

 

_"And the violence caused such silence,_

_Who are we mistaken._

_But you see, it's not me, it's not my family._

_In your head, in your head,_

_They are fighting..."_

 

_(Zombie, The Cranberries)_

 

 

 

Orange would be coming again today.

Slaine honestly didn't understand what compelled the other to visit him so often, especially given their shared past.

Some days he didn't resent Inaho so much for not letting him die; some days, instead, Slaine regretted not having pulled the trigger once more.

Jail was not as bad as the blond had thought it to be; the guards wore all white, surely to appear less intimidating and more friendly. He wasn't confined in what he had decided to call the "Glass Room" anymore, he was given a room of his own. It was certainly way better than where he had been forced to live on Vers; at least, here on Earth, he could enjoy a long relaxing bath in the almost complete privacy of the ensuite bathroom. Almost complete, because Slaine had noticed small cameras installed in the corners of the room, there to supervise his every suspicious movement.

But then, he was in no position to even think of complaining about it, as it was. 

 

 

* * *

 

The small white identification tag on the wall only read Troyard. 

Not that there was any need to identify Slaine, as both the nurses and Harklight, the guard, had been in and out of that room for four years now. 

Most of the staff in the hospital had also stolen a glimpse at least once of the blond, either strolling calmly in the garden with his step-sister or smiling tiredly at his fiancé, affection reflected in his azure eyes that almost seemed to negate the tension in the line of his shoulders.

His was a quiet tragedy, similar to the many others in the Tokyo Terminal Illness Centre. Orphan since a very young age, Slaine was taken in by a wealthy man who had a daughter of his own and knew his father. Chrutheo, as was the man's name, was not a forgiving and loving parent to Slaine; Asseylum, his step-sister, was caring but cold, and the blond grew up feeling unwanted. Following the coup-d'etat Slaine's family, along with many others, had been attacked by the anarchics to secure goods and secret vaults. Chrutheo perished in the fire that followed, and Asseylum's legs, caught under a pillar, were smashed. Slaine, apparently unscathed, only reported a minor concussion to his head; during a routine check, however, doctors discovered a black mass growing and  pressing on the blond's brain. Modern technology was powerless against a direct attack to the grey emispheres; struggling against palliative therapies and the black hole inside of him, Slaine's mind had created an alternative reality. 

Not trusting anyone near him, not even the doctor assigned to his case, Saazbaum, nor his step-sister, Asseylum, nor his fiancé, Inaho. 

 

* * *

 

Rayet had the night shift that day; she wasn't particularly happy about it, but it all counted towards her graduation, so she wasn't complaining about it. Mostly.

She knew the story of the blond patient in the white room at the end of the hallway; she had been one of the nurses that had looked after Asseylum at the small rehabilitation centre in the building, for those few who got lucky.

She knew the stories the other nurses had whispered about during the breaks, about the screaming and the self-harming and the sobbing at night.

She didn't know about the whispering, and the comforting, and the embracing in the quietness of that white room.

She didn't know, for that was only for Inaho and Slaine to know.

 

* * *

 

 

_"Inaho, the war I fought was for the people in Vers, to improve their living conditions. And yet, what has become of this ideal of mine? What have I fought for? What have we fought for?"_

_"...I don't know, Slaine."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was loosely inspired by the tv series Hannibal by NBC; a character developed an acute form of encephalitis that, along with paranoia, was responsible of a severe alteration of reality. 
> 
> In this case Slaine's mind is under stress, and because of the tumour his brain doesn't perceive reality as it is; rather, to avoid additional stress, his psyche created a new reality he could live in.
> 
> I am not sure of the possibiity of this happening in real life, but because the brain is the organ that is still mostly unknown to us I do think of it as a possibility.
> 
> That said, a big thank you to everyone who read it and kudoed it!  
> (And although it's a bit longer than a drabble, Slaine and Inaho wanted me to publish it, so here we are...)


	5. My

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU! Inaho and Seylum are pretty happy together. Or are they?

**_5.My_ **

 

_"I wanna cry and I wanna love,_

_But all my tears have been used up_

_On another love."_

 

_(Another Love, Tom Odell)_

 

 

The snow-covered road almost glittered that day; the crisp air only added to Inaho's discomfort, small particles of dust sneaking under his eye-patch.

 

Seylum was already there, waiting for him with a relaxed posture, admiring the landscape.

 

Inaho stood on the other side of the street, waiting only for the right crossing light to turn green.

Fixing his scarf he straightened himself and mentally prepared for the exchange of small greetings.

 

The light reflecting off the frosted snow blinded him momentarily.

Seylum's blond, long hair, moving with the wind, became shorter and softer.

Her petite figure filled up and familiar broad shoulders saluted him; her green eyes muted into azure , full-of-childlike-wonder ones.

 

Inaho's breath caught in his throath. Slaine was looking right back at him, on the other side of the street.

 

 

 

“ _You're a real piece of shit, you know that?”_

“ _I would hope I'm not just a figment of your imagination, yes.”_

“ _Fuck you.”_

“ _I thought you were doing that.”_

“ _I'm not...oh, fine. Come over here. And stop grinning like the smug bastard you know you are.”_

“ _Yes, I am. Yours.”_

“ _My...Mine.”_

 

 

 

“...o?...ao...?...Nao-kun?”

"S-Seylum?"

"What's wrong...?"

"Nothing...."

 

 

 

 

 

_"I've brought you daffodils on a pretty string,_

_But they won't flower like they did last spring."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I completely blame Harry Styles for the rethoric questions-style and his "This is a family show! Or is it?".  
> So yeah, please blame Harry with me.


End file.
